Recipe Version

When you change a recipe in BetterMenu — swap an ingredient, adjust a quantity, update a serving size — BetterMenu automatically saves the change as a new version. Nothing from the earlier recipe is lost. Your complete history is always available, and you can always go back.

What happens when I change a recipe?

Every saved change creates a new version of your recipe. The previous recipe is not overwritten — it is preserved exactly as it was, alongside the new one. Think of it like a timeline: each point on the timeline is a complete, self-contained snapshot of your recipe at that moment.

The timeline below shows a sample recipe history for a granola bar formula. Each step represents a change the team made over three months — and every earlier state is still available.

Each box is a complete recipe snapshot — not just the change, but the entire formula as it stood at that moment. You can open any of them at any time. This matters in practice: if a granola bar reformulation introduced a problem, you do not need to reconstruct what the original formula contained — the earlier snapshot is already saved and ready to review.

How do I see my recipe's history?

From any recipe in BetterMenu, the version history is available in the recipe detail view. Each entry in the list shows when the change was made and who made it. You can open any past version to see the full recipe as it existed at that point — ingredients, quantities, serving details, and all.

Version history is available to anyone with access to the recipe. Recipe owners and editors can restore a past version; viewers can see the history but not make changes. For a full log of every action — including who approved a change — see the audit trail.

For example, if your R&D team updated a granola bar formula three times over a quarter, you can open each historical snapshot to confirm which version was sent to your co-manufacturer, exactly as it looked on that date.

Can I see what changed between two versions?

Yes. BetterMenu shows a side-by-side comparison of any two versions in your history. The comparison highlights every field that changed: which ingredients were added or removed, which quantities were adjusted, and how the nutrition facts shifted as a result.

This is useful when a team member asks "what did we change in the April reformulation?" or when a contract manufacturer needs to confirm they are working from the correct formula. You can share the comparison directly or export the label pinned to any specific version.

As a worked example: if a product manager notices the calorie count changed between two production runs, the version comparison will show exactly which ingredient quantity changed and in which version — letting the R&D team trace the decision back to the specific edit and the person who made it.

Can I go back to an older version?

Yes. Restoring a past version creates a new entry at the top of the timeline that matches the earlier state exactly. The current version and all history in between are preserved — nothing is deleted. After restoring, the recipe reflects the older formula, and a new version is recorded noting when the restore happened and who performed it.

This is particularly useful after a reformulation that did not work out, or when a regulatory submission requires the exact formula that was in use during a specific production period.

For instance, if a production run in March used a specific formula and your team reformulated it in May, you can restore the March version at any time to verify or re-submit those exact ingredient quantities. The restored version appears as a new entry in the timeline, leaving the May and subsequent versions fully intact and accessible.

How do I know my recipe history is trustworthy?

Every version is permanently sealed the moment it is saved. Once a version exists, it cannot be edited or deleted — only new versions can be added. This means your recipe history is a reliable, unalterable record: what you see is exactly what was saved, with no possibility of silent edits after the fact.

This property makes recipe versions suitable for use in regulatory submissions, supplier audits, and internal quality reviews. Under FDA's food safety records requirements, food manufacturers must maintain accurate, accessible production records — BetterMenu's version history is designed with these expectations in mind. If an auditor asks what formula was used during a given production run, you can open that specific version and share it directly, knowing the record is exactly as it was at the time.

For a detailed log of every individual action — including who approved a change and what rationale was recorded — see Audit Trail.